A small prediction for the second round X factor

[Drucci]

Hi guys! As always I’ve been lurking on the forum during the playoffs without posting much but I’m glad to see old friends from years way past (!) being so active (hi Kiorrik!)!

I’m so glad we swept the Nets, this really feels so satisfying to put the Kyrie backstory behind us in such resounding fashion and seeing the team get to that next level.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a little prediction that I feel quite good about regarding the upcoming series with the Bucks : I think Derrick White will be the X factor for Boston. Not necessarily in that he will get hot from three but as well as he played against the Nets, I really feel like he is going to have a coming out series against the Bucks, in controlling the tempo, exploiting opportunies ans mismatches, and that it will be crucial because their reserves against ours will be the difference in my opinion.

Just my two cents of course but I’d be very interested to hear about your X factor(s) in this one !

[mig3zwo]

second round X factor gonna be the refs...

"who do we pin this foul on? Wait... is Theis on the floor? There you go..."


on a serious note... I hope it's going to be PP. Love that guy!
but who knows if he's actually going to play much.

[celts55]

I certainly hope you are right, but he has to hit  those wide open 3’s.

[timpiker]

Agree with you guys.  I hope White breaks out.  I've been a fan so far but I am getting pretty sick of him missing wide open 3's.  And with the refs continually calling fouls on Theis just because he's a tall white guy makes me sick as hell.  I hope to hell 2 or 3 can stop Giannis.  This is where I hope we don't miss Semi.  So it'll likely be Al and Grant to try to stop the freight train.

[nyceltsfan]

Agree with you guys.  I hope White breaks out.  I've been a fan so far but I am getting pretty sick of him missing wide open 3's.  And with the refs continually calling fouls on Theis just because he's a tall white guy makes me sick as hell.  I hope to hell 2 or 3 can stop Giannis.  This is where I hope we don't miss Semi.  So it'll likely be Al and Grant to try to stop the freight train.

I think it will be a mix of guys guarding Giannis.  I actually hope they start with Smart on Giannis.  Make him beat us from the outside.  I think in a given game we will see Smart, Al, Tatum, Brown and Grant defend Giannis (and possibly White as well).  More importantly, they need to integrate Timelord back into the starting unit and have him ready as a secondary defender near the basket.  Defending Giannis and Durant are totally different games.  Giannis is brute force and strength and we want to force him to shoot.  We also want to single cover him as much as possible.

[nickagneta]

I love White's game and think he can be a good three point shooter but has some fundamental issues to fix in his shot. He shots too quick without properly getting set and has his head moving during the shot.

It was easy to see in the 3 attempt he had after Tatum left the game for good. He was wide open for the three but in receiving the ball he didn't set his feet properly then caught the ball and instantly went into his shooting motion before first finishing moving his head to set it in getting the look at the three.

His head needs to be set and looking in the direction of the shot before starting the whole motion. He is rushing everything in the name of getting off the shot quicker and it's killing his ability to be accurate. If he takes the extra half second to gather and shoot when his head is looking at the goal and has his body set, I think that would help his shot tremendously.

[Roy H.]

I think the X-factor will be Horford.  He's got to stay on the floor without fouling. 

[angryguy77]

X factor will be the defense on Giannis. I feel like they will employ the "build a wall" strategy and force him to kick it out. They're going to have to be quick on closing out on the shooters when that happens.

[Sophomore]

X factor will be the defense on Giannis. I feel like they will employ the "build a wall" strategy and force him to kick it out. They're going to have to be quick on closing out on the shooters when that happens.

Agree - and a related x-factor is whether Khris Middleton plays. If not, building a wall becomes a lot easier!

[Drucci]

Not to throw myself some flowers (but kind of ) but I feel like Derrick White really played the crucial part I expected in the series. He didn't make shots in game 7 (although his three at the end of the third was huge to kill the Bucks' momentum and get the lead back to 15) but he was crucial in all the games in Milwaukee. So glad to  have him on  the team and I think he could have a great scoring series against Miami, as he matches up better with them imo.

[Vermont Green]

Not to throw myself some flowers (but kind of ) but I feel like Derrick White really played the crucial part I expected in the series. He didn't make shots in game 7 (although his three at the end of the third was huge to kill the Bucks' momentum and get the lead back to 15) but he was crucial in all the games in Milwaukee. So glad to  have him on  the team and I think he could have a great scoring series against Miami, as he matches up better with them imo.

White had his moments but the reality was that we had different players coming up big in different games.  Horford had his game, Grant Williams had Game 7, Pritchard even had moments.  I would not say that White was "The" X-factor for the series, more he was "An" X-factor, one of 3 or so, that had an important impact.

You were not wrong, but you were not entirely right either.

His role against Miami may be to shut down Tyler Herro.  That will be an important role.  He seems like the right guy for that.

[Drucci]

Not to throw myself some flowers (but kind of ) but I feel like Derrick White really played the crucial part I expected in the series. He didn't make shots in game 7 (although his three at the end of the third was huge to kill the Bucks' momentum and get the lead back to 15) but he was crucial in all the games in Milwaukee. So glad to  have him on  the team and I think he could have a great scoring series against Miami, as he matches up better with them imo.

White had his moments but the reality was that we had different players coming up big in different games.  Horford had his game, Grant Williams had Game 7, Pritchard even had moments.  I would not say that White was "The" X-factor for the series, more he was "An" X-factor, one of 3 or so, that had an important impact.

You were not wrong, but you were not entirely right either.

His role against Miami may be to shut down Tyler Herro.  That will be an important role.  He seems like the right guy for that.

Indeed ! And I think he will have a much easier time finishing in the paint in this series.

[todd_days_41]

Drucci! An OG going back to 2006.

For me, it's the obvious -- RWIII's health. Can he come back / sustain thru the playoffs? Personally, I don't think the Cs can win the title without him.

[trickybilly]

X factor will be the defense on Giannis. I feel like they will employ the "build a wall" strategy and force him to kick it out. They're going to have to be quick on closing out on the shooters when that happens.

These are the flowers. Pitch perfect.

[jambr380]

Good to see you back Drucci!

Derrick White was fine - definitely better than he was in the BKN series. I have higher hopes for him in this upcoming series and think his perimeter defense will be a very important factor against the Heat guards. We are definitely going to need him to perform and I hope he remains as decisive as he has these past few games.